In a year of challenges and frustration, here’s some good news from BBC Wildlife team…
“Taxonomists – scientists that classify species – describe thousands and thousands of new extant (living) species every year, and 2021 has seen some amazing new discoveries, including impressive spiders in Papua New Guinea named after the activist Greta Thunberg and a tiny chameleon in Madagascar.
Sometimes these species are completely new ones that have never been studied by scientists before, and sometimes it’s a case of a species and its subspecies being examined more closely and it is agreed upon that they ought to be separate species .
And paleontologists (scientists studying extinct species from different geological eras) are also describing new species that they’ve studied from bones, fossils, amber and even fossilised dung.
Discover some of the new species around the world that have been recently described by scientists, from a tiny chameleon to a spider named after Greta Thunberg”
What is a species?
The concept of a species is arguably the most fundamental in biology. It is surprising, then, that it has caused scientists so much head-scratching. Charles Darwin wanted to do away with the concept altogether, considering it to be defining the indefinable.
The most used definition centres on interbreeding, stating that a species is a group within which two individuals can breed to produce fertile offspring.
In general, this definition holds water, but it can lead to surprising groupings. For example, due to climate change, polar bears and grizzly bears have been coming into contact and producing fertile young. Should we consider these bears one species?
The focus on sex also leaves out organisms that reproduce asexually. Other definitions consider ancestry, though where the lines should be drawn is unclear – are we the same species as our water-dwelling ancestors? Further definitions focus on ecology, geography and physiology.
This Q&A originally appeared in BBC Wildlife Magazine, and was answered by Leoma Williams.
New species described in 2021:
Here’s just a few of the extant species that have been described so far this year, from impressive spiders in Papua New Guinea named after the activist Greta Thunberg to a tiny chameleon in Madagascar. We have also provided links to the taxonomic papers in which the new species have been described.
Screaming tree frog (Litoria quiritatus), Australia
The bleating tree frog (now the robust bleating tree frog, Litoria dentata) is a familiar frog species to many eastern Australian residents, with its high-pitched call that described as almost painful to listen to, and one of the loudest calls of any Australian frog. However, it turns out that the species is actually three different species, with two that are new to science: the screaming tree frog (L. quiritatus) and the slender bleating tree frog (L. balatus).
Citizen scientists across Australia can record and submit frog calls to the FrogID project, run by the Australian Museum, allowing scientists to improve the understanding and conservation of Australia’s 240-plus known species of frog.
A combination of differences between the calls, morphology, genetics and distribution separates the three species, all of which are thought to be common and widespread, and are found in both natural habitats and major cities.
The specific name ‘quiritatus’ is derived from the Latin verb ‘quirito’ which means a shriek or scream.
More at https://www.discoverwildlife.com/news/new-species-in-2021/
